Wichita eagle., 1887-07-24
THE CABLES OF THE WORLD.
An Interesting Map OF the Principal
Lines of Telegraphic Communication.

An Interesting Map OF the Principal
Lines of Telegraphic Communication.
I have chart issued by the photographic
Office Of the United States navy, in which are
shown the submarine cables of the world,
with the sea coast stations and the principal
connecting land lines 1t is an interesting
map to any one, and I've no doubt of great
value to many. In fact, should imagine it
would make one of the most important charts
that mariner could have in his collection.
Besides showing the locations of the lines q
table of international rates is also given. The
you may be sure, started me on fresh in
vestigation Of my chart. Let us take
glance at it together.
The United States, of.course, is well ribbed
with wires, three lines of which stretch from
the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, or at least
practically so. Then there are two running
from the extreme north to the Gulf, while
another skirts the Pacific coast Mexico has
a number of lines, while the West Indies APP
pear to lack nothing in this respect. Both
coasts of South America as far down as Pata-
gonia have telegraphic communication with
the rest of the world, while running into
Brazil from Lisbon, Portugal, there is pair of
submarine cables. Did you know there were
as many as ten cables connecting the new and
the old worlds! They don't run directly
across, either. The couple which bring St.
Pierre, on this side, and Brest, France,
together sweep down as far south as the lati-
tude of New York. OF course you under
stand that in laying submarine cables the bed
of the ocean is first carefully considered.
Europe is crossed and recrossed, while from
ST. Petersburg clear across to the Pacific
coast extends a lonely line of wire Siberia
is as bare Of poles and wire as the average
old gentleman's head is OF hair. SO is the
greater portion of northern and western
Russia, the whole of interior China and
Africa, British America and Alaska, and, of
course, Greenland and Iceland. Australia
has several lines of wire running its length
one of which comes clear from the north
where the cable from British India energies
from its watery bed, down to Tasmania
Suppose, now, California merchant wants
to telegraph a correspondent in New Zealand
That isn't SO far, geographically speaking, but
from telegraphic point of view it is far in
the distance The California man would
send his message something like this: He
would start it across the continent, where it
would take journey under water, be flashed
through Europe, again under water in the
Mediterranean sea, through the Suez canal,
across India, under the Bay of Bengal, the
Java sea, a piece of the Indian ocean and
finally to the operator at Palmerston, Aus
tralia. He would start it across that CONT
mental island to Sydney, where it would take
another bath, this time in the Pacific ocean,
and finally it~vould be delivered to the man
to whom it was addressed The message on
which Preller'S murderer, Maxwell, was ap-
pretended, took something like this route
from st. Louis. You remember he had taken
steamer from California 10 New Zealand
observer in Philadelphia Call